PhD project - Outcomes of stress among parents to children and adolescents with mental health disorders

Call for applications for a fully financed PhD fellowship
We are seeking a talented and highly motivated person to pursue a PhD in our mental health research group at the Danish Center for Health Services Research. This is a 3-year, full-time position funded by an external grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Obel Family Foundation. Preferred start date in the first quarter of 2026.

About the job
This PhD project will investigate associations between parent characteristics, perceived stress, and health outcomes in families of children and young people with mental health disorders, drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives from psychology, psychiatry, and public health.

The project’s findings are expected to contribute both to theoretical knowledge and to strategies for supporting families affected by child and adolescent mental health disorders.

The PhD project will involve analysis of secondary data from the Danish national registers supplemented by data from a national survey. The PhD project will be a part of the “Best for Us” project. The “Best for Us” project is aimed at children and adolescents with mental distress or mental disorders requiring treatment, and its purpose is to improve both access to and the quality of care.

About you
Qualifications
1. Strong background at the master’s level in epidemiology, biostatistics, survey data, psychology, psychiatry or similar.
2. Experience with data analysis/statistical modeling.
3. Competence with at least one of the following statistical software packages: SAS, STATA or R.
4. Internal motivation, curiosity, a positive attitude and a strong love of science.

We offer
The Danish Centre for Health Services Research is a multidisciplinary and open research environment that includes a wide range of research disciplines and competencies, including epidemiology, health economics, biostatistics, sociology, and clinical research.
In this position, you will primarily be connected to a research program in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Its purpose is to generate insight and evidence on care pathways and variation in quality and capacity within the health and social sectors for children linked to child and adolescent psychiatric services, as well as to develop and test interventions within child and adolescent psychiatry in the North Denmark Region and relevant municipalities.

About us
The “Best for US” project is a collaboration between Region Northern Denmark, Aalborg University, several municipalities in North Jutland, and other national and international partners. The Danish Center for Health Services Research is involved in several components of “Best for Us”.
You can read more about “Best for Us” at www.bedstforos.dk.   

Further information
Please contact Senior researcher, Anne Gulbech Ording, a.ording@rn.dk, for more information.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.   

Practical information
Application deadline is 4. januar 2026. Preferred starting date is 1 February 2026.

• We obtain references for the person we wish to hire. If required for the position, we also request a criminal record certificate and a child protection certificate.
• Salary and employment conditions follow the applicable collective agreement.
• The position is 37 hours per week, but if a different number of hours is desired, this can be agreed upon.
• The education of students and trainees is one of Psychiatry’s core tasks, to which all employees contribute.
• In the North Denmark Region, we are a smoke-free workplace.

I Region Nordjylland søger vi hele tiden nye dygtige kolleger, der sammen med os vil arbejde for, at de nordjyske patienter og borgere er i gode hænder. Du bliver en del af et fællesskab med 15.000 kolleger på hospitalerne, det nære sundhedsvæsen, det præhospitale beredskab – og inden for de specialiserede sociale tilbud, regional udvikling og i administrationen. Vi er stolte af vores faglighed og samarbejde på tværs af hele organisationen.

Vi opfordrer alle kvalificerede til at søge jobbet – uanset etnisk baggrund, køn, seksuel orientering, handicap, religion eller alder.

Læs mere om os på Job og uddannelse, og få et overblik over ansættelsesprocessen trin-for-trin på Fra ansøgning til ansættelse.

• Fakta

• Arbejdssted
  Psykiatrien - Region Nordjylland
• Kontaktperson
  Anne Gulbech Ording
• Adresse
  Mølleparkvej 10, 9000 Aalborg
• Stillingstype
  Forsker
• Speciale
  Psykiatri
• Ansættelsesform
  Tidsbegrænset periode
• Ugentlig arbejdstid
  Fuld tid
• Ansættelsens start
  01-02-2026
• Regionens jobnr.
  22030
• Quick-nr.
  485058
• Indrykningsdato
  11-12-2025
• Ansøgningsfrist
  04-01-2026